FEBRUARY 10 • 2022 | 57

played him as the hero not the 
villain,
” he said. “I believed that 
although Judas loved Jesus, who 
was an amazing person, he was 
afraid if [Jesus] raised too much 
of a ruckus he would hurt the 
Jewish people.
” 
His director was on board 
with his interpretation of the 
character. Young wore a hamsah 
around his neck and davened 
on center stage while singing 
“Heaven on their Minds.
”
At OU, Young is proud of his 
students and of creating a new 
way to teach musical theater 
when it was unsafe for everyone 
to be in the same room (because 
singing produces so many drop-
lets in the air). He had three 
rooms hardwired with cameras, 
audio and video. His class is in 
one room, the accompanist in 
one room, and he and the singer 
(safely distanced) are in another. 
Other universities have taken 
notice of this technique and it 
has increased applications to 
OU’s theater department by 90%, 
he said.
Young and Padgett said they 
are still limited in what they can 
do because of the pandemic. 
Both of their children are too 
young to be vaccinated: Adele is 
3 and baby brother Leo Elliott 
was born in 2020. They’re being 
safe, but looking forward to 
becoming more active in the 
Detroit Jewish community when 
they can. Before the pandemic 
hit, they went to Temple Israel a 
few times and plan to go back. 
“This is the year we want and 
need to start making friends,
” 
Padgett said.

A LOVE OF CABARET
Young and Padgett met Allan 
Nachman, cofounder of 
Cabaret 313, which brought 
professional cabaret to Detroit 
in 2013, shortly after they 
arrived in Michigan. Nachman 
knew of Young through his 
work in theater. The couple 
went to a Cabaret 313 event 
and were invited backstage.
“Since then, he and his wife 
have been our surrogate par-
ents,” Padgett said. “They’ve 
been so kind to us and our 
children.”
In 2021, Young and Padgett 
performed tunes by Broadway 
composer Andrew Lloyd 
Webber as part of a virtu-
al show for Cabaret 313. 
Following the performance, 
they engaged with audiences 
for a live Q&A. 
“Our audiences were capti-
vated by their stage presence 
last year, which was clear 
even through the screen,” said 
Cabaret 313 Executive Director 
Sabrina Rosneck. “We are look-
ing forward to our audiences 
experiencing their performance 
live and in-person this year.” 
The Feb. 12 performance will 
be the debut of Valjean, Cosette 
and a String Quartet. “This 
is the first one I’ve written 
for Emily and myself,” Young 
said. “The songs we’re singing 
weren’t meant to be sung to a 
seven-piece band, so we chose 
to have a string quartet along 
with piano. The combination 
sounds really beautiful. We’re 
so thrilled we can have our 
debut with Cabaret 313.” 

DETAILS Valjean, Cosette and a String Quartet will be 
performed at 6:30 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. Feb. 12 in the Great 
Hall inside the Detroit Institute of Arts (5200 Woodward 
Ave.). Audiences will be socially distanced and seated 
safely apart at tables. Masks will be required to be worn for 
the duration of the performance. Patrons will be asked for 
proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 taken within 
72 hours of the event. Tickets will not be sold at the door. 
Complimentary valet parking is available. Tickets range from 
$25-$200. To purchase tickets, visit cabaret313.org or call 
(313) 405-5061.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 AT 7 PM EST
Learn about Holocaust films from cinema expert Richard 
Brownstein. Find more info at holocaustcenter.org and 
(248) 553-2400.

75 YEARS
 
 
HOLOCAUST 
CINEMA 

OF
75 YEARS
 
 
HOLOCAUST 
CINEMA 

OF
75 YEARS

V I R T U A L P R O G R A M

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